The students Union Government of Fourah Bay College ( FBC), Njala University (NU) and Eastern Technical University have issued different statements distancing themselves from press releases from “certain state political actors ” on various social media platforms, urging students in terti institutions to demonstrate against the Government due to the current rise in the prise of Petroleum products.

The students Union Government of Fourah Bay College ( FBC), Njala University (NU) and Eastern Technical Univer have issued different statements distancing themselves from press releases from “certain state political actors ” on various social media platforms, urging students in tertiary institutions to demonstrate against the Government due to the current rise in the prise of Petroleum products.

According to the NU press release, “The Students Union Government, Njala University Government Campus, note with dismay, press releases from certain state political actors on various social media platforms, urging students in tertiary institutions to demonstrate against the Government due to the aforementioned reasons highlighted earlier.” It added. “As a Government, we hereby dissociate ourselves from every students demonstration in any form, thus, encouraging colleagues to desist from all forms of misinformation from any political group that may want to undermine the security of the state.

The press statement of Eastern Technical University states: “The attention of the Eastern Technical University Students Union Government has been drawn to a social media letter purported to be written by MEM Med “Walters” on behalf of the universities in Sierra Leone. The Eastern Technical University Students’ Union Government is shocked by such display of irresponsible lie and deceit peddled by a faceless coward It furthered that “The Eastern Technical University students have no intention whatsoever to engage in any crisis bearing on the current global economic climate. We therefore want to admonish our constituents that no student’s blood is worth any politician’s ambition, adding, “We will not join any irresponsible gang to demonstrate.”

According to the disclaimer from the Office of the President of Fourah Bay College (FBC) Students Union Government, “The attention of the Students’ Union Government, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone has been brought to a public notice calling on students from various universities to engage in a planned demonstration against the Government purportedly directed at expressing dissatisfaction towards the increase in the cost of petroleum products. It continued: “With an utmost show of display, the Students Union Government Fourah Bay College writes to distance itself from a certain social media post implicating its students on a pre-planned protest for the reduction of fuel price.”

The disclaimer further states: As a Student body we believe in using constructive dialogue as the mechanism to be heard. Therefore, we urge fellow students to stay calm as we seek solutions on how to talk about it rather than fight about it.” With the aforesaid press statements and disclaimer, it is quite obvious that other universities or tertiary institutions in the country are also aware of the inciting press releases from the so-called state political actors though they are yet to issue similar releases. It could be recalled that many press releases had over the weeks been posted in some notorious opposition platforms declaring a nationwide demonstration on 8th August, 2022, which the three universities have distanced themselves from. Many concerned Sierra Leoneans have said the anonymous press releases inciting the students to demonstrate are the handy work of the main opposition All People’s Congress APC) that is very desperate to make the country ungovernable at any costs. Prior to the aborted planned nationwide demonstration, the opposition had incited women organizations to demonstrate against Government for the high cost of living despite it is a global problem caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia war on Ukraine.

Meanwhile, it is not yet known whether the other universities will react to the inciting ress releases directed to them